Barolo

Do you remember what the weather was like in April of 2013? Any of 2016? Probably not. If you do though, chances are you’re a winemaker. 
 
Weather is one factor over which winemakers have little to no control. A good winemaker can adjust for an unseasonably cool spring or a rainy summer by adjusting when they pick their grapes. However, an entire harvest can be laid to waste in one night by an August hailstorm or a September frost. That’s why on a stormy fall day in Piedmont you might hear the blast of hail cannons echoing through the hills. Or you could see a Burgundy hillside lit up by rows of candles to help keep the grapes from freezing. 
 
Once the harvest is over and the wine is bottled, it goes into the books as a vintage which is then labeled and remembered (poor, good, great, exceptional) largely based on how the weather affected the wine. 

Barolo - known for centuries as the king of wines and the wine of kings - is a big, robust, full-bodied, dry red wine that’s high in acidity, alcohol, and tannins with the flavors of strawberries, tar, roses, violets, and truffles. It’s also a silky, complex, and elegant wine that often gets compared to Pinot Noir. 
 
The high tannins in a Barolo need some time to soften and they are famous for their ability to age – up to 20 or 30 years in the cellar, only getting better every year.

In general, the Barolo vintages of 2013, 2015 and 2016 are seen as great or exceptional with some arguing that they could all be seen as historic in terms of quality. The 2014 vintage was a challenging year due to cooler temperatures, above average rain and multiple hailstorms although near ideal conditions in September may have saved the day and it’s still seen as a good vintage.